'Twins in Nghe An died after vaccination due to illness, not the vaccine'

On the afternoon of October 16, the Nghe An Department of Health had a brief exchange with the press regarding the case of twins who died after receiving hepatitis B vaccination at the Nghe An Northwest Regional General Hospital.

Mr. Duong Dinh Chinh - Director of Nghe An Department of Health, said that immediately after the incident, the Department established a professional council to evaluate the treatment process as well as conclude the cause of death of the children. This professional council also has members who are leading experts in this field in Hanoi.

Members of the Professional Council. Photo: Tien Hung

According to the assessment of the Professional Council, the vaccination was carried out in accordance with the procedures and regulations. The vaccine source was strictly inspected, and the transportation and preservation process was also ensured. The spirit and attitude of the medical team were very positive, in accordance with the regulations of the industry...

Initially, the Expert Council concluded that the deaths of the two children were not related to vaccination but were due to illness. Specifically, the disease was “congenital metabolic disorder, fatty acid metabolism disorder”.

Mr. Tran Minh Dien - Deputy Director of the National Children's Hospital. Photo: Tien Hung

“This is a genetic disease, with a 100% fatal prognosis if it occurs in newborns. Through inspection, we found that our colleagues in Nghe An handled the case correctly according to regulations and had a good treatment approach...”, said Mr. Tran Minh Dien - Deputy Director of the National Children's Hospital. Members of the Professional Council affirmed that there was sufficient evidence to conclude that the children had this disease.

Previously, on October 9, the pregnant woman Nguyen Thi Hong Thai (31 years old, Nghia Hong commune, Nghia Dan) gave birth to twins by cesarean section at the Northwest Regional General Hospital. After screening, at 8:00 a.m. on October 11, both babies were scheduled to receive the hepatitis B vaccine.

But more than 4 hours later, the first baby vomited milk, suddenly had respiratory failure, turned cyanotic, and had difficulty breathing. At this time, the doctors diagnosed that the baby had respiratory failure of unknown cause, not excluding milk aspiration, or congenital metabolic disorder/after the 5th hour of hepatitis B vaccination. This baby later died at 2:45 p.m. on October 11 at the Northwest Regional General Hospital.

Also injected at 8am on October 11, at 4:45pm the same day, the other child also suddenly had hiccups, pale skin, lethargy, and slow newborn reflexes. Doctors diagnosed neonatal respiratory failure of unknown cause.

The child was then transferred to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital in a state of being pumped with oxygen through an endotracheal tube, with bruises on the left thigh and left ankle, irregular heartbeat, soft abdomen, pale yellow skin with purple veins.... The National Children's Hospital also sent a team of doctors to help treat the child. But by 1:00 p.m. on October 12, the child died.

According to a report from the Nghe An Northwest Regional General Hospital, on October 11, 18 children there were vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine from the same batch. Currently, 16 children have no unusual symptoms.